Freedom's Frontier

The Historic Ritchie House was owned by early Kansas Territory settlers, John and Mary Jane Ritchie. The house, the only Underground Railroad stop in Topeka that remains standing, and the Cox Communications Heritage Education Center next door are located in Topeka, Kansas.

250 fugitive slaves came through the house on their way to freedom in Canada. In the 1850s, it was a periodic meeting place for John Brown, Jim Lane, and other abolitionists.

The Historic John and Mary Jane Ritchie house, built in 1857, is a project of the Shawnee County Historical Society located in Topeka, Kansas. It was acquired by the Society in 1995 and has undergone restoration and preservation. The stone house which stands at 1116 SE Madison serves as an interpretive site of Kansas area heritage and serves also as an important landmark in Shawnee County, Kansas.

This historic stone house was built by John and Mary Jane Ritchie and represents the legacy of the generation of pioneers who founded Topeka and shaped its early directions. The house has been included on the Kansas Register of Historic Places as well as the National Register of Historic Places. Standing next to the stone house is the Shawnee County Historical Society's Cox Communications Heritage Education Center.